Growth of heifers as affected by the daily frequency of feeding roughage alone or mixed roughage and concentrates

During recent years it has been of interest to study the effects of frequency of feeding on the animal. Numerous studies with ruminants have shown that frequency of feeding affects the growth rate. The animal usually gains weight faster when fed at frequent intervals. In previous studies of this type, the animals were fed hay alone or hay and limited concentrates. It has been postulated by some recent workers that the concentration of fatty acids in the rumen is affected by frequency of feeding. Particularly, the propionic to acetic acid ratio is very high. A similar effect can be obtained when the ratio of concentrates to hay increases in the ration. In this investigation an attempt was made to study the effects of two rations on the growth of dairy heifers as influenced by frequency of feeding. In one ration the ratio of hay to grain was 1:1 to give a high propionic acid to acetic acid ratio. In the other ration only hay was fed to give normal ratios of the acids. Feeding frequencies of two times and six times daily were compared to determine how feeding frequency affects the efficiency of the utilization of the two rations.